Resident columnist Dickson Igwe
Crime and deviancy from male youth in the Virgin Islands has been a worrisome trend; from anti- social behaviors, to outright murder and robbery, sexual assault, and traffic crimes, there appears to be no solution at hand. Why? Because the problem is social and psychological. A wise man stated once that the most difficult thing to change is culture. Deviancy is a culture.
Deviancy can be traced back to the very early years of childhood, with the first manifestations in primary school. By the time the child enters secondary school it is usually too late to reverse deviant behaviors.
It is difficult for law enforcement to solve crimes that are driven by emotion, mindset, and attitude. A law enforcement officer is usually an investigator, and not a psychologist, nor a counselor.
And poverty has a part to play in the epidemic of male deviancy, but youth anger and resentment appears to play the greater part.
Male anger is a social issue deriving from the home mainly. Poor home socialization is the key factor at play in anti-social male behaviors: the absent father has been laid at the door of deviancy.
But this Old Boy believes that in the time of COVID the matter goes deeper than missing dads. There is rising frustration with youth at the abnormality of life in the present Pandemic. Parents are advised to adopt patience in dealing with their kids as the pandemic continues.
And after all, the matriarch as head of the clan is a West Indian sub text that in the 1950s – 1980s did well in fostering safe and wholesome community: the village was ruled by granny. So why this dangerous deviancy discovered among young males in the Virgin Islands and wider Caribbean?
It appears young men in the Virgin Islands- and this happens elsewhere in a world where success is defined in material terms- are dealing with a myriad of social issues: poverty, parental abandonment, learning limitations, domestic abuse, to mention some.
Then, apart from the issues of racism and under development in the Caribbean and developing world, there is the fact that greater wealth and social inequality deriving from digitization and globalization is a factor in black male deviancy.
The world economy today is knowledge based, heavily rewarding specific skills such as advanced science, computer engineering and programming. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – STEM- drives wealth and prosperity in today’s world.
Male youth especially, who cannot become men in the traditional sense of meeting social and economic obligations, will frequently resort to crime and socially irresponsible behaviors.
Males who have the opportunity to learn a vocation, earn a decent living, attend university, or who can go into employment with the public and private sector at a sustainable income will tend to avoid a crisis of masculinity that asserts they are ‘’failures’’ who must resort to crime to become ‘’somebody.’’
It is crucial for government and society to enable young men to see a viable path to social and economic success. Too many boys appear to dwell in a negative world of hopelessness and frustration.
And it is not sexist to assert that the pressure to succeed is greater for males in a world subtly defined by machismo. The colorful entrepreneur is a draw for young men everywhere, notwithstanding how he got his millions.
Presently, in the Virgin Islands, and driven by the Covid 19 Pandemic, milestones of education, employment, starting a family, building a career that buttresses self fulfilment and self- esteem, are blurred and getting lost to young men dwelling in a culture that socially rewards quick money schemes, and that respects the outcome and not the process, even if the process is criminal and violent.
This is a culture that subverts the traditional path to social success, placing male youth in a juvenile phase of social life where they seethe with frustration, anger, and rage, entering into early manhood with a hopeless and alienated mindset.
In yesteryear, the passage to manhood involved a traditional route: a vocation, education, marriage, family, savings, investment. Today that route is blurred for most youth. That path is muddied and lined with ditches and craters.
Society is failing to offer youth the social and economic skills, and the supporting economic infrastructure needed to sustain them socially and economically for life.
The solution starts with an awareness the young black male is in crisis. And then the government and private sector investing in areas of the social economy that will place males back on the right road.
And that means a focus on ways of training young males for the needs of the present economy, placing young males in apprenticeship programs that feed into the real economy, while investing in the infrastructure that will build safe and resilient community.
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Dickson Igwe is an education official in the Virgin Islands. He is also a national sea safety instructor. He writes a national column across media and has authored a story book on the Caribbean: 'The Adventures of a West Indian Villager'. Dickson is focused on economics articles, and he believes economics holds the answer to the full economic and social development of the Caribbean. He is of both West African and Caribbean heritage. Dickson is married with one son.
